4 Unforgettable Gift Ideas That Won't Break the Bank
So, Mother’s Day is tomorrow and you missed all the Mother’s Day sales, spent your last dime at brunch with the girls, and you forgot the date again… that is until you saw this blog.
Don’t worry, no judgment! I’ve definitely been there. For me though, to reach my financial goals I’ve had to keep a padlock on my budget for some years. Which always sucks because I love giving extravagant gifts (it’s literally my love language!). Honestly, I used to feel so inadequate that I wasn’t able to show how much I cared about someone through what I could buy them until I realized that money is not the only thing that I have that is valuable to someone. God has given me so much more. When I realized that, I also realized that sometimes the gift of your hands, the gift of your time, and the gift of your words can leave a bigger impression on the heart than money ever could.
So whether you spent all your money or you never had it to spend in the first place, here are four gift-giving ideas that will cost you next to nothing but will make an unforgettable statement in the life of your loved one/s.
1. A PROPHETIC GIFT
When we hear the word prophecy, we sometimes think of it as a prediction of the future. While that is true, it’s not always the case. Pastor Robert Morris shares that “when the Bible speaks of a word of prophecy, it simply means “a message of encouragement from God, delivered through a human vessel, to another person or persons.”” 1 Corinthians 14:3 says “But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.” (NIV)
God’s word is full of encouragement that both comforts us and speaks of the great things He has in store for our future. The best part is that His word never returns to Him empty. This means that whatever He sent out His word to accomplish will be achieved (Isaiah 55:11). When it stands on God’s word, our strength and future are not left up to chance or a maybe. It is certain because God’s word is true and never fails. I don’t know about you, but with uncertainty in a pandemic, uncertainty with a war, and everything in between, certainty is a gift many of us could use right now.
When thinking of a prophetic gift, think -what is something you could encourage in the life of your special someone? Maybe recall the things they can’t stop dreaming and talking about. Could it be one day traveling the world or getting the chance to finally start their dream business? For my mother, it was the latter and she couldn’t stop sharing with us all the amazing things she planned to do when her business launched. It would be a big leap of faith for her, especially being a doctor, a wife, a mother and now the owner of a business on a whole nother continent. But scripture tells us in 1 Luke 1:37 that with God, nothing is impossible and that’s what I wanted to encourage her with.
With less than $10, a quick trip to Lowes, and just 4hrs of work I made a desk nameplate that said her name and “CEO” right next to it. I promise you, I had no more bones left in my body after she hugged me. To this day she talks about how when it gets tough or when she doubts if she has what it takes, that gift encourages her. And that’s what we call a tear-jerking lasting impression, people!
PRO TIP: To make a statement with a prophetic gift, make sure that the gift is timely and pinpoints a specific desire to be encouraged. Show that you’ve been listening and paying attention to the dreams they may only share between whispers.
2. THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER
Proverbs 17:22 says that “a cheerful heart is good medicine.” If there’s a gift I love to give the most, it’s the gift of bringing joy to someone whenever they look or use their present. We have a lot of inside jokes in our family about how my sister can’t draw to save her life. Out of the blue, she found an old drawing of hers from middle school that she claims was a drawing of a dog. Does that look like a dog to ya’ll?
Regardless of what kind of animal it was supposed to be, it did become a symbol of the memories and laughter we share that are attached to that moment. I kept a picture of it and as a gift for my sister, I replicated her drawing on a leather laptop bag I made for her.
The goal was to keep the dog/pig/thing as close to its original form as possible but match it to the aesthetic of the bag (because my sis is fly like that). As soon as she opened her gift and recognized it was her own dog/pig drawing, she burst into laughter. Others outside our family may not get what makes her smile when she looks at the bag. They don’t know that what’s behind that funky-looking creature is a barrel of joy she shares with her family and a reminiscent visual of her youth.
It doesn’t cost much to give the gift of laughter and when you pull from intimate memories like these, such gifts make the best memories last forever.
PRO TIP: Go beyond personalizing gifts with just names and try personalizing it with a memory. An experience between you and a few is an intimate and personal moment that was shared. Pull inspiration from that to create a uniquely customized gift.
3. A CATALYST GIFT
Now, I can’t take credit for this one but it made my heart scrome (TikTok's past tense of scream) so I had to add it in here! The same abstract drawing sister of mine has a phenomenal photography business. At one point, she set out to design her own website but with graduation and wedding season filling up much of her schedule, it became harder and harder to find the time to do it. It was even overwhelming just to think about and before you know it, the website was swept under a growing list of tasks. A friend of hers took notice and came to the rescue. One day he surprised her with a five-page website fully designed with pictures and text. All she had to do was switch out any images or text that she wanted to be changed. Aside from that, he had studied her aesthetic so well that there were few edits to make.
Ya’ll, designing a website is absolutely free to do but that’s not even the reason why this gift is genius. See, a catalyst gift is similar to a prophetic gift as it’s a gift with the intention to encourage something in someone. But a catalyst gift zooms in on what step you could fulfill that would prompt someone to take their next step. For my sister, it was getting the website done so that she could improve the flow of her business. Because her bf was generous enough to make that step for her at a time when she found it difficult to do so, it became the catalyst for the next season of her business.
It reminds me of a teaching Pastor Stephen did about relationships and how humility and generosity can bring a new level of favor from God to your life. He asked us- rather than being self-seeking first, how intentional are we in setting up others to win? Philippians 2:3-4 encourages us that we should imitate Christ’s humility by valuing “others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” A catalyst gift sets the person up to win, and it’s a gift that they will never forget. Because whenever they look back at all the events that finally got them to their destination, they will remember how you were a part of making that happen.
4. THE GIFT OF SERVICE
This gift is as simple as it sounds but to make it impactful, you have to be observant and attentive. You’re looking for something that you can knock off of your loved one's to-do list. That thing that irks him/her so much, but they never seem to have the time to get around to it. For example, cleaning the garage, changing the soil in the garden, or making a monthly meal plan (yes, these are my real-life family experiences). Of course, make sure it's actually something you have the skills and knowledge to do so that it's useful and helpful to them. Don’t go changing the soil of mom’s plants and then killing them because you didn’t know anything about gardening (not my strong suit)!
The point of this gift is this- that you serve them in an area of their need. Maybe you’ve realized a stressful season in their life, and you offer to babysit their kids so that they could have a night to themselves. Whatever the need, Galatians 5:13 encourages us to serve one another humbly in love. And by doing so, we show ourselves as children of God and shine just like stars in the sky (Philippians 2:14).
Truly, “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Not having the funds shouldn’t stop you from giving, because money isn’t the only resource God has given you to give to others. He’s blessed you with time, talents, and skills that you can share, and what better way to use them than to serve and encourage others.
So whether you’re trying to meet the Mother’s Day deadline or the next birthday celebration, these gifting ideas are sure to put a great big smile on your celebrant’s face. Try it out and let me know what you think!
Are there any gift-giving ideas you’d like to add to the list?
